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Show SAVED BY THE TRUTH. Why "Joe" Jefferson Did Not Discharge Dis-charge Tippling Servant Joseph Jefferson once had ln his employ a plausible sort of man, half valet, half factotum, grossly Incompetent Incompe-tent and unsatisfactory, whom he desired de-sired to get rid of. It was a certainty the man drank. Wine from the cellar cel-lar would disappear mysteriously and the supply in the decanters would disappear gradually, but there nover was any ocular proof that tho servant was responsible. "And." Bald Jefferson, ln telling the story to a friend, "there ' I was. What could I do? However," he continued, con-tinued, "one day as I was sitting In my library, who should I see but William Wil-liam reeling up the walk, drunk as lord. My opportunity had come after many years. I waited for him. I would tell him how drunk ho was. He would deny it, of courso. He would insist ho was sober. But I should have tbo calm consciousness of right on my side, and my excuse for sending him away would bo sufficient. suffi-cient. So when William approached I gazed at him wlth all tho severity I could summon, and said: " 'William you are drunk.' "He returned my look with perfect per-fect Imperturbability. 'Mr. Jefferson,' he said, 'I am more than that I am very drunk, sir.' "And," continued Mr. Jefferson, "will you tell me what I could do? He took the wind out of my sails. He proved himself a perfectly truthful man." "And you finally got rid of him?" asked the man to whom the story was told. Just then some one came in to light the lamps and the comedian come-dian looked at him qulzzlngly. "No," ho answered with a smllo, "that was William who Just came In. I couldn't discharge a man for telling tho truth, could I?" |